Antique Chinese and Japanese Porcelain collector's help and info page

GLOSSARY

Kinrande (gold brocaded) (Jp.)

Chinese kinrande

Typical Chinese "kinrande" (gold brocade) decoration with (worn) gilt on a red ground on porcelain with underglaze blue decoration

Japanese name for Chinese porcelain wares with their outside covered with a finely drawn gold decoration on a red ground. This ware was produced in the mid 16th century primarily for the Japanese market.

The same term is sometimes used for Japanese porcelain with similar decoration, then sometimes specified as Kinrande Imari. Eventually this decoration developed into akae (enamel decoration where red dominates) or iroe enamel decorated porcelain with gilt and other enamels colors, all mostly made for export.

The terms used to describe Japanese porcelain decoration are often confusing and can equally likely refer to center of production (arita), export harbor (imari), general origin (satsume), origin (seto) or type of decoration (sometsuke), name of original or later masters (kakiemon), studio, factory or workshop. From this point of view kinrande is a Japanese name of a Chinese (!) decoration, possibly imitating red lacquer with gilt while akae and iroe are sub categories of the Chinese late Ming five color decoration (wucai).

HOME

A

B

C

D

E

F

G

H

I

J

K

L

M

N

O

P

Q

R

S

T

U

V

W

X

Y

Z